Barking drum



G. M. DICK BARKING DRUM June 9, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 11, 1961INVENTOR GEORGE M. DICK \wm HIS ATTORNEY G. M. DICK BARKING DRUM June 9,1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed May 11 INVENTOR GEORGE M. DICK BY \mmm HISATTORNEY United States Patent 3,136,345 BARKING DRUM George M. Dick,Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, assignor, by mesne assignments, to IbisEnterprises Limited, Hamilton, Bermuda, 2 body corporate of BermudaFiled May 11, 1961, Ser. No. 109,310 4 Claims. (Cl. 144-208) Thisinvention relates to log barking apparatus and particularly to that typeof apparatus in which is provided a drum adapted to receive the logs andto rotate for tumbling the logs about thereby loosening the bark andcleaning the logs therefrom for further processing.

It is an object of this invention to provide a reliable and effectivebarking drum which is particularly useful in disposing of the barkparticles and which is easily kept in order and regulation. 7

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obviousand in part pointed out hereinafter.

The drawing illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention andincludes FIGURE 1, a plan view of a barking drum, portions being cutaway to show the interior construction in part;

FIG. 2 is a cross section taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1 looking inthe direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 3 is a cross section of the barking drum at the discharge end takenalong the line 3-3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view along the lines 44 I of FIGURE 1 in thedirection of the arrows illustrating the flow of the logs in the drum.

Referring to the drawing, the barking apparatus has a horizontallydisposed cylindrical drum 10 which in this instance is composed of twoadjoining parts 12 and 14 for the sake of flexibility and convenience inhandling. Such drums are usually quite long as for instance forty tofifty feet and while they might be made in one section it is preferablefor convenience in erecting, maintenance and manufacture that they bemade in the two sections 12 and 14 as illustrated.

Each section is adapted to rotate and for this purpose it is providedwith a pair of tires 16 on bearings spaced apart as shown in FIG. 1 andFIG. 3 each bearing comprising a trunnion roller 18 having a trunningshaft 20 mounting in bearings 22 and supported on a foundation 24 byside plates 26. Side plates 26 are connected by tie rods 28, see FIG. 3,which are lengthwise adjustable at their ends 30 as to length so thatthe height of drum section 12 at any tire 16 may be suitably regulatedby taking up or lengthening tie rod 28 at the suitable point. Inaddition drum section 12 has a plurality of points in this instance twoat which it is provided with ring gears 32 encircling sections 12 and 14and meshing with main pinions 34 mounted on a drive shaft 36 extendinglongitudinally beside drum 10 and guided in suitable bearings 38 setupon a part 40 of foundation 24. Means is provided for driving shaft 36including reduction gearing 42 associated with the drive shaft 44 of asuitable motor (not shown).

Transversely disposed with respect to sections 12 and 14 of drum 10 areheads 46, 48, 50 and 52. These heads are provided with apertures ofsuccessively increasing size and circular in outline concentric withdrum 10. Thus, head 46 is provided with the .smallest aperture 54, head48, which in this instance is composed of two plates, one on section 12and the other of similar size on section 14, a larger aperture 56. Head50 has a still larger aperture 58 and head 52 which is at the dischargeend of drum 10 has the largest aperture 60. Thus between head 46 andhead 48 is provided a compartment having a relatively small inlet ataperture 54 Patented June 9, 1964 "ice and a discharge aperture 56,slightly larger in size. The compartment within section 14 between head48 and head 50 has aperture 56 as its inlet and the slightly largeraperture 58 as its discharge, while the very much shorter end section orcompartment between head 50 and head 52 has as its inlet aperture 58 andthe aperture 60 as its discharge. The relative sizes of these parts andtheir purpose will be explained.

Drum 10 is adapted to receive logs to be barked and water at aperture54. The logs are adapted to be tumbled about in section 12 of drum 10 inthe process of which the bark on the logs is abraded, ground up andfloated off through the discharge aperture 56 into section 14 of drum10. To facilitate the abrading action longitudinal staves 62 parallel tothe axis of the cylindrical drum section 12 are mounted on the innerperiphery of section 12 and they not only by their preferred shapesabrade the log bark but they assist in the leg tumbling by catching theshort lengths of the logs customarily used in this operation. As thedrum 10 rotates the staves 62 move these log sections upwardly in thedirection of rotation,

of the drum, such movement resulting in a cascade of log sectionsagainst one another and producing the desired action for removal of thebark from the logs and reducing such bark into small fragments. There isno escape for the water introduced into the drum section 12, by way ofpipes 13a (FIG. 4), except through the aperture 56 at the discharge endand the pulverized bark as well as the logs passes from section 12 intosection 14. In this section and particularly that part between heads 48and 50 continues the operation as hereinbefore described, there beingadditional staves 64 preferably more numerous than staves 62 and withsuitably curved faces. Since aperture 58 is larger than aperture 56there is a flow of liquid and suspended bark in the direction of head 50and thence into the final compartment of drum 10 which has a sieve-likeaction permitting escape of the water and therein suspended barkparticles entering past head 50. Thus it will be seen that as saidliquid spills from each of the apertures to the adjacent larger apertureit generates a flow to push the logs being debarked and the bark fromcompartment to compartment in the direction of the discharge end of thedrum 10 as shown in FIGURE 4.

For this purpose discharge compartment between heads 50 and 52 issomewhat differently constructed in that it terminates in a portionwhich consists of the U-shaped bars or staves 66 which extend beyond theimperforate wall of section 14 and are welded to a head 68 supportinghead 52 and a ring 70 mounted thereon. The liquid entering the endcompartment of drum section 14 will flow out and wash with it thegreater part of the bark between staves 66, while the barked logs passout through aperture 60 and are separately collected by suitable means(not shown).

Thus, as the water and logs progress through the compartments from theentrance at aperture 54 to the discharge aperture 60 there is sufiicientwater contained and retained within the greater part of the drum toprevent packing up of the bark particles which has the effect offacilitating the bark removal, the bark particles being furthermoreflushed out very effectively.

Thus, by the above construction are accomplished, among others, theobjects hereinbefore referred to.

I claim:

1. Log barking apparatus comprising a horizontally disposed cylindricaldrum having an inlet end for receiving logs to be debarked, means forsupplying fluid to said inlet end, and a discharge end, and a pluralityof transversely disposed heads spaced apart within said drum from theinlet end to the discharge end to form successive intercommunicatingcompartments within the drum, each head being provided with a'circularcentral aperture, such apertures being successively larger in thedirection of the discharge end, so that saidfiuid spills from each ofsaid apertures to the adjacent larger aperture to generate a flow topush said logs being debarked in the direction of said discharge end,the peripheral Walls of all of said compartments being imperforateexcept at the final compartment at the discharge end, that finalcompartment being relatively short with respect to any other saidcompartment and provided with openings in its periphery forming acylindrical screen.

2. Log barking apparatus comprising a horizontally disposed cylindricaldrum having an inlet end for receiving logs to be debarked, means forsupplying fluid to said inlet end, and a discharge end, and apluralityof transversely disposed heads spaced apart within said drum from theinlet end to the discharge end to form successive intercommunicatingcompartments Within the drum, each head being provided With a circularcentral aperture, such apertures being successively larger in thedirection of the discharge end, so that said fluid spills from each ofsaid apertures to the adjacent larger aperture to generate a flow topush said logs being debarked in the direction of said discharge end,the peripheral walls of all of said compartments being imperforateexcept at the final compartment at the discharge end, that finalcompartment being relatively short with respect to any other saidcompartment and provided With openings in its periphery forming acylindrical screen, and means to rotate said drum about its cylindricalaxis.

3. Log barking apparatus comprising a horizontally disposed cylindricaldrum having an inlet end for receiving logs to be debarked and adischarge end, means for supplying fluid to said inlet end, a pluralityof transversely disposed heads spaced apart Within said drum from theinlet end to the discharge end to form successive intercommunicatingcompartments Within the drum, each head being provided with a circularcentral aperture, such apertures being successively larger in thedirection of the discharge end, so that said fluid spills from each ofsaid apertures to the adjacent larger aperture to generate a flow topush said logs being debarked in the direction of said discharge end,the peripheral Walls of all of said 4 compartments being imperforateexcept at the final compartment at the discharge end, that finalcompartment being relatively very short with respect to any other saidcompartment and provided With openings in its periphery forming acylindrical screen, means to rotate said drum about its cylindricalaxis, and abrading staves extending longitudinally parallel to'the drumaxis and mounted on the interior of the drum walls.

4. Log barking apparatus comprising a horizontally disposed cylindricaldrum having an inlet end for receiving logs to be debarked and adischarge end, means for supplying fluid to said inlet end, a pluralityof transversely inlet end to the discharge end to form successiveinterdisposed heads spaced apart Within said drum from the communicatingcompartments Within the drum, each head being provided with a circularcentral aperture, such apertures being. successively larger in thedirection of the discharge end, so that said fluid spills from each ofsaid apertures to the adjacent larger aperture to generate a flow topush said logs being debarked in the direction of said discharge end,the peripheral walls of all of said compartments being imperforateexcept at the final compartment at the discharge end, that finalcornpartment. being relatively very short with respect to any other saidcompartment and provided With slots in its periphery forming acylindrical screen, abrading staves extending longitudinally paralleltothe drum axis and mounted on the interior of the drum Walls, means torotate said drum about its cylindrical axis, tires on the exterior ofsaid drum at spaced intervals, a pair of spaced roller bearings for eachtire, and tie rods operatively associated with said roller bearings toregulate the sup ported height of the drum.

Birdsall Oct. 28, 1958

1. LOG BARKING APPARATUS COMPRISING A HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED CYLINDRICALDRUM HAVING AN INLET END FOR RECEIVING LOGS TO BE DEBARKED, MEANS FORSUPPLYING FLUID TO SAID INLET END, AND A DISCHARGE END, AND A PLURALITYOF TRANSVERSELY DISPOSED HEADS SPACED APART WITHIN SAID DRUM FROM THEINLET END TO THE DISCHARGE END TO FORM SUCCESSIVE INTERCOMMUNICATINGCOMPARTMENTS WITHIN THE DRUM, EACH HEAD BEING PROVIDED WITH A CIRCULARCENTRAL APERTURE, SUCH APERTURES BEING SUCCESSIVELY LARGER IN THEDIRECTION OF THE DISCHARGE END, SO THAT SAID FLUID SPILLS